When My Name Was Keoko

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout the novel, different characters participate in various forms of resistance against the Japanese occupiers.

• In which ways does Resistance and Liberation Occur Differently for Every Individual? (topic sentence)
• Select one character from the novel and discuss their personal form of resistance against the Japanese occupiers.
• How is the concept of resistance juxtaposed against the fear of being deemed chin-il-pa?

2. Living in occupied Korea, many of the families are concerned with maintaining their cultural traditions in the face of increasing discrimination by the Japanese government.

• Why is community important for Koreans during the Japanese occupation? (topic sentence)
• Discuss one example from the novel where the characters are unified by a sense of community.
• In your concluding sentences, explain how the theme Sacrifice and Struggle Deepen the Appreciation for Community is revealed in the novel.

3. In the novel, the characters are affected both by the Japanese occupation as well as Japan’s entrance into WWII.

• Are the Korean characters affected positively or negatively by Japan’s entrance into WWII? (topic sentence)
• Select one character and discuss how WWII transformed her/his personal development.
• How does this character’s transformation address the theme of The Ability to Shift Morals and Expectations During War?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Why is the Japanese Imperial Army so adamant about forcing Japanese culture on the Korean population? For example, why do they prevent Korean families from learning about their own history and disallow them from keeping their national symbols? Explain a moment in the story when this happens. Provide context and determine how it affects the characters’ identities.

2. “What did it mean to be Korean, when for all my life Korea had been part of Japan?” (Chapter 1). This quote illuminates the contradiction of living in one’s country while under foreign occupation. Choose one major character and compare/contrast how they deal with the issue of national, political, and cultural allegiance to both Korea and Japan. What drives them to show their loyalty to each nation?

3. How do gender roles shape the characters’ decisions and abilities throughout the novel? Select one male and one female character and compare and contrast their experiences in the novel.